Various Matches for Breeding. 
151* 
not— we would consider as most valuable for breeding-, if of fair quality in other points, even 
though they might grow a trifle coarse. Hens should, in fact, if good in head and beak, never 
be too hastily condemned for this fault, as they often very foolishly are. Our reason for this 
advice is that nearly all the very small Tumbler hens are bad breeders, some laying but few 
eggs, others small yolkless ones, and others again being too weakly to lay at all, but dying 
egg-bound, unless relieved. Others again only lay a pair or two during a whole season. If, 
however, the hen be of good size, she can be depended on to lay six or seven pairs of eggs, without 
at all affecting her health for the following season, while her offspring will give far less trouble in 
rearing, and be as a rule a more vigorous class of birds. The young bred from small weakly hens, 
as is well known, give the greatest trouble to rear, and even when reared cannot stand the least 
exposure. Again, the offspring of weakly hens never look so close and tight in feather as those 
derived from strong birds. We would, however, on no account breed from such a strong hen with a 
large cock, as the progeny would infallibly be oversized ; but, as the finer points come most from 
the cock, and constitution most from the hen, we would, so far as possible, choose a small, handsome 
cock of good carriage, and put him with a strong, motherly hen, with a view to getting fair-sized 
birds of a vigorous constitution. 
We will again suppose the breeder has an Almond cock, which has become too dark for the 
show-pen. Such a cock makes a fine match for either an Agate Mottle, a Splashed Agate, a 
Splash, or even a Dun. A bird in his prime of feather we would give either an Almond Splash 
hen, or a whole-coloured Yellow Agate free from white feathers. This last is a match we are 
particularly fond of, not unfrequently producing pairs of Almonds in the nest, and often of 
splendid colours too. 
Take again an Almond cock too mealy in feather, but which it is desirable to breed from. 
We would advise matching him with a Red Agate whole-feather, if such can be obtained ; if not, 
then a Red Agate Mottle, the less white about it the better. If such could not be obtained, we 
would match him to a Kite hen, and the more of the Kite or bronze tinge she shows on tail 
and flights the better, and the more likely will the progeny be to be of good colour. We look upon 
this last as more of a chance cross than any of the others ; still, we give the best advice we can, for 
the sake of such as may have these faulty-coloured birds, and wish to know what affords them 
a fair chance in breeding from them. 
Again, we will take a class of birds which are often at command for breeding, viz., those which 
have too much Kite blood in them, as shown by their dark and rich mahogany colour, rather than 
yellow. These birds are often found in the lofts of breeders who keep breeding in succession from 
Kites and Almonds, without using the lighter colours. They are so strong in feather as to be 
equal for breeding depth of colour to a Kite cock, the Kite being chiefly used either to strengthen 
the colour of mealy-feathered birds, or to assist a too soft-coloured hen. Such a dark cock, 
accordingly, makes a splendid match for a soft-feathered Almond hen, which shows no break of 
feather in body, flights, and tail, of which there are always more to be had than of the desired 
colour. This is, therefore, in general an easily-managed match, and will often produce birds which 
will surprise the breeder, particularly as regards a real ground of the true and proper colour. The 
want in the hen being break of feather, which the cock helps to supply, and both being Almonds 
and Almond-bred, we have seen more birds of the rare and proper yellow ground-colour produced 
in this way than by all the other crosses we know of ; and we believe it was the mode of breeding 
adopted by Mr. Hale, who produced more of this coveted colour than anyone else we are acquainted 
with. His next fancy was the same dark class of cock with a well-spangled Splash hen, and this, 
too, answers well. ^ - 
